


Vignette Five

by missingmymothership



Series: Pojūtis ir Spalvos [5]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Aurora - Freeform, M/M, Synesthesia, synesthete!Will, two-part vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-06 10:32:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4218351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missingmymothership/pseuds/missingmymothership
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you can see the Aurora Borealis from the US. Takes place in an ambiguous spot in season two.</p><p>*Written by an actual Synnie!*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You don’t have to be within the Arctic Circle to see the Aurora Borealis,” Hannibal murmured, soft trails of red curling around Will’s ears. He looked up and just behind his shoulder, to where the man was standing, hands uncharacteristically in his suit pockets.

“Is that so?”

“The farther north you are, the more clearly it can be seen, of course.”

“And?” Will contemplated perching on Hannibal’s desk, but decided the slightly agonized stare he was sure to get wasn’t worth it.

“The Aurora is supposed to be visible over Maryland tonight. Would you be averse to joining me later on to watch it?”

“I don’t think I’d be averse to it,” Will said, “But I’m...not necessarily amiable to the concept, either.” 

“Is it too close to what you already see every day?”

He looked at Hannibal sharply. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s not hard to guess that you are a synesthete of some kind.”

He swallowed. “Yes. And?”

“Do you see colors for sounds? Do you taste sensations? What is it you experience?”

“Colors for sounds, yes. Sensations for sounds also.”

Hannibal blinked once. Twice. “The Aurora must seem mundane to you.”

Will didn’t answer at first. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see it, or didn’t appreciate how it worked or how beautiful it was, but. There was something holding him back. “Not exactly.”

“I won’t force you to come with me, though I think I would enjoy your company.”

Part of him really did want to go with Hannibal, even if it wasn’t for the lights. He sighed through his nose. “Sure.”

Why did it feel like he was signing off on something big?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer than I expected it to be, but hey, more syn to revel in! (pun totally intended)

The drive to Patapsco Valley State Park was nearly silent. Hannibal was wearing a sweater and a pair of black slacks, and Will concentrated on not spilling the thermoses of coffee he’d been handed, something extra in the Bentley’s cupholders. The road noise skimmed along his forehead in greys and yellows.

Hannibal’s attention was on the road, but also seemed divided, as if he was thinking about something that required more than a minimal amount of effort. Will wondered if Hannibal was contemplating flaying him and leaving him under a tree somewhere. Not hard to imagine.

He looked out the window as they cruised down Park Drive and sighed. “Dr. Lecter, I took this more for a roof-going kind of outing.”

“If you would have been more comfortable in the city, all you had to do was tell me.” They pulled to a stop and Hannibal paid the parking fee. “But the light pollution would make the Aurora impossible to see.”

Will didn’t see how there was less light pollution here, but he nodded anyway. They parked close to the hiking trail’s entrance and Will watched the last trails of light disappear behind the whispering-blue trees. “We’re hiking?” he asked with a wry grin. He should’ve guessed.

“But of course. The best views come from the longest trips.”

“Patience and reward,” he muttered.

“You catch on quickly,” Hannibal said, words round and peaked and twisted in a bloody red. “Come. I’m sure it will be worth it.” Without looking back at Will, he started down the trail, steps orange hands on Will’s shoulders. There was still a twitching fear in the back of his mind, but really, it was no longer a cat and mouse game they were playing. It was cat and cat. Hannibal wouldn’t want to lose his opponent so soon. He followed.

The trees were twisted specters in the dark, and Will kept his eyes ahead--the Stag would never not take a chance to appear, even after his illness. He’d rather not give it an opening.

Darkness was so deep around them that it almost hummed, made the yellow scuffles of prey animals and their burnt orange footsteps all the brighter against its canvas. They kept walking at a brisk pace. Hannibal pulled a small steel flashlight out of his pocket and switched it on with a green click, and its fluorescent light deepened the eeriness around them.

Will pulled his jacket tighter around him. As the minutes passed, he found himself wishing he weren’t behind but beside his therapist. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

“We’re not far,” Hannibal said, without turning around. “There is a clearing five minutes’ walk from here.”

“And that’s where we’re stopping?”

“Yes.” 

Will tucked himself back into the darkness and tried to melt into the cold; it only half-worked, and by the time they made it to the clearing, he was shivering and jumping at every sound. That shouldn’t be the case. He stared into killers for a living. But inhuman threats were always more terrifying, he supposed, because they had more possibility, weren’t limited to human feats.

It was easier to see the stars from here--maybe it would be easier to see the lights, whenever they showed up? Maybe.

There was a picnic bench set off to the side of the grassy space, and the two men made their way over there to sit. To Will’s surprise, Hannibal perched himself on the table and motioned for him to do the same.

“It should be visible in a few moments.”

He nodded and sat near Hannibal, quiet and still, and gradually calmed.

“Did you ever learn about the stars?”

“A bit. I know more about moon phases and fishing. Practical stuff.”

“A fisherman wouldn’t want to know celestial navigation, then?”

“A friend of my dad’s tried to teach me once.”

Hannibal cocked his head slightly, eyes glittering in the dark. “You have quite the analytical mind.”

“I’m not analytical enough for that.” He laughed, short and sharp. “Did I mention numbers have personalities? None of them like me much.”

“Math must have been difficult for you as a child.”

“Bills give me a headache still.”

Hannibal glanced up at the sky. “If you look to your left, it’s just starting.”

He looked, and saw a tiny ribbon of green just above the trees. Couldn’t help but grin. “How long does it last?”

“It varies quite a bit, but I suspect we’ll be seeing this particular display for a half hour at least.” Hannibal took a thermos from Will--who’d forgotten he was carrying them, actually--and set it down on the table behind him and stared at the sky. Will did the same after taking a sip. It was good coffee, he decided.

The lights crawled out across the sky, very faint but still striking something deep in him. It made him want to jump into the stars.

He noticed Hannibal’s shoulder brushing his as he reached back to get the thermos, and his first reaction was to move away, except. Except. Will pressed closer instead, leaning against him, and they sat and watched the Aurora together, green and gold illuminating their faces and settling over the treetops like a net.

Will was not cold for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at lamby-grahamy .
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
